1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally related to a card connector, and especially to a card connector with anti-mismating means for assuring different size/type cards can be correctly received in corresponding receiving spaces.
2. Description of Related Art
It is popular to provide one single Integrated Circuit (IC) card connector with different sets of terminals at different locations to engage the different size/type IC cards which mutually exclusively enter the common receiving space defined in the card connector via the same entrance opening. Understandably, the housing of the card connector provides some key/keyway in the guiding channels to guidably retain the inserted cards in position. However, sometimes a card of smaller dimensions may be inadvertently inserted into the entrance opening in an improper tilted manner that it may be incorrectly positioned, thus either damaging the terminals or being damaged by the terminals. The safest way is to provide different spaces and/or different entrance openings in the card connector, However this would increase the total thickness of the connector, which is opposite to the trend of miniaturization. Accordingly, it is desired to provide a safe structure for the card connector to regulate different cards' insertion and not increase the thickness of the card connector.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,035,633 discloses a protection member which is located at an entrance opening of the card connector and can be moved either linearly or pivotally to allow the corresponding card to be inserted into the card connector for mating under a condition that the protection member is controlled by a locking member which moveably and releasably locks the protection member which can be released by the inserted card when the correctly sized card is inserted into the card entrance opening.
However, sometimes a small sized card is still required to be inserted into the combo type card connector for mating with the corresponding contacts in the card connector. In order to overcome the limitations of the currently offered products, it is expected to modify the protection member aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 5,035,633 which is capable of retaining a small sized card in position when the small sized card is inserted into the receiving space for mating with the corresponding terminals while not obstructing insertion of a large sized card.
Hence, an improved card connector is highly desired to overcome the aforementioned problem of the prior art.